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Spectacular Storrs

September 27, 2010

“What town is UConn in, anyway?” is one of the most common questions I am asked when I speak to people who haven’t spent time here on campus. “It’s in Storrs,” I tell them, “though there’s not much there besides the University.” And while the Mansfield Downtown Partnership is working to create a college town next to the campus, in the meantime there is a kernel of truth to the cruel remark that “Storrs” should be called “Store,” because that’s all the town really has.

But who cares? The truth is that Eastern Connecticut is a spectacular landscape of rolling hills, forests, rivers, and lakes. Those of us who live near UConn, in Mansfield, or Willington, or Coventry, or one of the other small towns in the area, drive to work or to the grocery store through one scene of natural wonder after another. On weekends, we have our choice of hundreds of different walks through woods and by streams, or up hills to lookouts over the sparsely inhabited northeastern corner of the state, all within 15 or 20 minutes of our homes.

A particular treat is the fact that we’re far enough from big cities that we have a true, dark, night sky here. On moonless nights the Milky Way is clearly visible, and recently we’ve had a truly spectacular view of the Moon and Jupiter. It’s clear enough, and dark enough, that I can resolve Jupiter’s moons with 8-power binoculars from my backyard. Unfortunately, I don’t have the technology to take a proper picture of it.

While each time of year has its particular charm, it’s hard not to feel that right now is just about the most beautiful possible time of year – the trees have just begun to change, the light has a distinctly autumnal cast, and the temperature has started to really dip down in the evenings. I don’t think John Keats ever made it to Connecticut in the fall, but he knew what he was talking about when he spoke “To Autumn:”

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, –
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue.

Since I carry my cell phone everywhere, and it has a camera in it, I collected some images of the walking trails in the area around this time of year and you can view them here. I feel privileged to live in such a lovely part of the world.

Read more posts by Jeremy Teitelbaum, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, on his blog.

Join us for a talk by Gina Barreca,2018 UCONN BOARD OF TRUSTEESDISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH

All great works of fiction, poetry and dramaâas well as texts forming mythologies, religions, national epics to heroic sagasâhave loneliness at the heart of their narrative. From Persephone to Peter Pan, from âFrankensteinâ to âFrozen,â the stories we pass along are saturated with unwilling isolation.âOnly around half of Americans say they have meaningful, daily face-to-face social interactions,â according to a 2017 study. A former U.S. Surgeon General argues that âWe live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s.â We need more than social media. We need social contact. We need community. How can we break through the loneliness barrier? Being alone when in need of companionship is more than sad; itâs an epidemic.Chronic loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. We need to change our national story and, often, our personal ones as well.Even the concept of the âlone wolfâ is a myth. Wolves hunt in packs.

Reception to follow.

For more information about this event, or if you are an individual who requires special accommodation to participate, please contact the CLAS Deanâs Office at (860) 486-2713.

A liberal arts and sciences degree prepares students with the tools they need to excel across a wide range of careers. Given the number of options available to you, it can be overwhelming to narrow down career choices. Attending CLAS Career Night will provide you exposure to career opportunities for CLAS students.

This semesterâs focus will be on research-based careers. During this event you will engage with CLAS alumni, learn about various occupations, and gain insight about how to best prepare for your future career.

The McNair Scholars Program and the Office of Undergraduate Research invite you to join us for a brown bag research seminar.

Birds, Bacteria, and Bioinformatics: Why Evolutionary Biology is the Best

Sarah Hird, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology

This series is open to all undergraduate and graduate students, and is designed especially for students conducting (or interested in conducting) STEM research. These seminars are opportunities to learn about research being pursued around campus, to talk with faculty about their path into research, and to ask questions about getting involved in research.

About CLAS

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the academic core of learning and research at UConn. We are committed to the full spectrum of academics across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. We give students a liberal arts and sciences education that empowers them with broad knowledge, transferable skills, and an ability to think critically about important issues across a variety of disciplines.